The pusher fighter concept had been around since 1915. The advantage of the design was it allowed a heavy armament on the centerline, though the use of booms for the tail unit made the resulting airplane more fragile than the traditional tractor designs. Use of modern aeronautical knowledge gave the promise of higher performance than traditional designs. The USAAC requirements of 1939 resulted in three very different responses to the concept of the pusher fighter. One, the Vultee XP-54,

The canard is the layout of the first successful heavier-than-air airplane, the Wright Flyer, and has been recognized throughout the development of aviation as the design which makes the most aerodynamic sense - though it seems to violate the "rightness" of traditional design; this layout does not involve the twisting moment between wing and elevators of the traditional tractor design with the elevators on the tail. The advantage of such a design is that it uses less structure, hence weighs less, and thus provides a better power-to-weight ratio with resulting operational efficiency. That the canard is highly effective can be seen in the use of this with modern delta fighters like the Kfir.

The XP-54 appeared as a solo prototype, with first flight on January 15, 1943; the airplane was so big that the pilot entered the cockpit by means of an elevator seat. The originally projected performance included a speed of 510 m.p.h., to which the airplane never came close, showing a maximum speed of around 400 m.p.h. The Northrop XP-56, nicknamed "the flying bullet" for its fuselage shape, first flew September 26, 1943, crashing soon after. A second prototype was more successful, but by that time the coming age of jets made it obsolete sitting there.

Since the XP-54 really did not involve unknown aerodynamics with its traditional layout, and since the XP-56 utilized the "flying wing" layout which had already flown as the N-1M, there was no need for initial aerodynamic tests with these designs. Such was not the case with the XP-55. The canard layout was considered so radical that a full-size wooden prototype powered by a 275 h.p. Menasco was first flown in December 1941. This success of this proof-of-concept airplane led to approval of the three Allison- powered prototypes on July 10, 1942; the first - 42-278845 - flying July 13, 1943. (Editor's note: the first flight and a few succeeding test flights were performed at Scott AFB, IL, about 5 miles from the editor's home. Since the aircraft was built at Curtiss-Wright in St. Louis, it was the most logical place to do initial testing. Subsequent testing was performed at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio)

The XP-55's propeller could be jettisoned to allow a safe bailout by the pilot in an emergency. The rudders were mounted on fins at the wingtips, with small vertical fins above and below the engine for directional stability. The small nose-mounted elevator and high wing loading combined to produce unstable low-speed handling, and the first prototype went out of control during a stall test on November 15, 1943, the pilot successfully bailing out. The second prototype - 42-278846 - featured modified landing gear, enlarged vertical fins above and below the engine, an enlarged forward elevator and armament in the nose. The stall limits restricted its performance envelope, and the airplane was 1,000 lbs overweight. The airplane still displayed atrocious low-speed handling characteristics, making every landing "hairy." 

The third prototype, 42-278847, had the wing span extended four feet, and travel of the elevator increased. Similar modifications were made to the second aircraft. Problems with low-speed handling and engine cooling persisted, and high speed performance was disappointing. The USAAF cancelled the project in 1944, though the two aircraft continued to perform test work into 1945. 42-278847 crashed during a demonstration flight at Wright- Patterson on May 27, 1945, killing the pilot and a passing motorist. 42-278846 is the only survivor, and is now in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

Proof that the design was close to right is seen in the very successful Rutan Vari-Eze, which looks very much like a little XP-55, and zips along at 180 m.p.h. on only 100 h.p. The solution to the low-speed handling problem is found in the very large canard on the Vari-Eze, which gives a very powerful response to control inputs. The canard is also at a different incidence to the wing, so that when the wing stalls, the canard is still flying - the result is the nose dips about a foot, the wing starts flying again; the airplane is stall/spin-proof. The

Vari-Eze was also the first to use Whitcomb Winglets, which give the wing performance throughout the speed range. The use of spoilers instead of rudders and ailerons solves all the problems found in the XP-55. Curtiss was close, but in aviation, close means no cigar.

Squadron is to be commended for introducing the range of Czech Model kits that first arrived in 1997. The line has presented such well-known oddballs as the Bell XP-77 lightweight fighter prototype; the Yak-15, the first Russian jet fighter; and the FJ-1 Fury, progenitor of the Sabre series. The XP-55, with its dramatic look, has long interested modelers and is an excellent addition to the line. I remember only one other kit of this airplane being available, a long out-of-production vacuform. MPM made this kit in 1/72 should that be your scale of choice. There is also a 1/72 Combat vacuform kit if you are really masochistic!

The kit comes on two sprues of light grey plastic, providing the basic airframe, landing gear, and gear doors. The wheel wells, wheels, and cockpit are in resin from True Details. Two very clear vacuform canopies are provided, so that those (such as our Fearless Leader here at MM) who are vacuform-challenged will get two chances to create problems for themselves. (And don't think that we don't appreciate that! Ed) The decals are for 42-278846, the suriving second prototype, in its final configuration.

The limited-run injection-molded plastic has crisp surface detail, with petite engraved panel lines and a minimum of flash. The trailing edges of the wings and control surfaces are thin and sharp. Test-fitting of major components reveals no problems. Overall, the kit looks relatively simple in production design and should be a good first model for those who have not done a limited-run kit before.

Past the clean-up of parts and test-fitting before final assembly and attachment that one must do with any limited-run kit, the model presents no problems in construction, and following the instructions will result in a good-looking model of a very rare airplane on the shelf.

I began by removing all the resin parts from their backing. I sanded down the resin main gear bay till it fit between the upper and lower halves of the wings, and sanded the nose wheel bay so that it fit inside the fuselage with the cockpit, which was also removed from its mold backing and sanded to fit. I removed all the resin cockpit parts from their backing and cleaned them up.

Once this was done, I painted the resing parts with Gunze Sanyo "Interior Green," and followed that up by painting the instrument panel and the various black boxes in the cockpit with Tamiya "Semi-Gloss Black." I painted the seat belts that were molded in the seat. Dry brushing the instrument panels and black boxes with Testor's Model Master non-buffing Aluminum popped out the detail sufficiently.

Once all this was dry, I assembled the cockpit and the nose wheel bay into the fuselage half, and then glued the fuselage together. I followed this by gluing the main gear bay in place in the lower wing and gluing the wing sub-assembly together, including the tip rudders and the extended ailerons. I then glued the fuselage and wing together. When all this had set up, I filed off the glue ridges along the join lines and then puttied all the joints.

When the putty was dry, I sanded all the seams and joints, then applied Gunze Sanyo Mr. Surfacer 500, and sanded everything smooth when it was dry. I then rescribed panel lines as necessary, and glued the cockpit on in the closed position. Having dipped the canopy in Future, I could do this with CA glue, which allowed me to build up the attaching seam on the rear so it could be sanded smooth and then covered with Mr. Surfacer 500. With all this done, I attached the canard and the model was ready for painting

Painting the model was easy: Gunze Sanyo "Olive Drab II" uppers, Tamiya "Neutral Grey" lowers, Testor's Model Master non-buffing Aluminum for the landing gear, Tamiya "Flat Black" for the tires and propeller blades, Tamiya "Flat Yellow" for the tips, Model Master "Burnt Iron" for the exhaust stacks. A coat of Future overall, and then the decals.

The kit decals look right from the few photographs available of this airplane and snug down with no problems with some Micro-Sol. When they were dry, I shot the model with "Flat Future" and it was finished.

A well-done kit of an interesting airplane that is highly distinctive when it is complete and sitting on your display shelf.

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